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Manchester City’s £15m misfit in Russia for Zenit medical

Javi Garcia is all set to depart the Etihad this summer, with the Spanish midfielder closing in on a £13 million move to Russian side Zenit St Petersburg.

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas has returned to the Premier League with the Portuguese’s current club Zenit St Petersburg closing in on a deal for Manchester City midfielder Javi Garcia.

The Spaniard was pictured on Twitter, in images retweeted by City Watch, completing a medical with the Russian club ahead of his rumoured £13 million move to the eastern European outfit.

Signed by City for £15.8 million from Benfica back in August 2012, Garcia has struggled to make the grade during his two-year spell at Eastlands, though he has managed to feature 48 times for the Sky Blues in the Premier League, scoring two goals along the way.

Quickly becoming something of a journeyman star, Garcia was previously on the books at Real Madrid before moving to Benfica, playing 15 times in La Liga for Los Blancos before being deemed surplus to requirements at the Bernabeu.

It is thought that Garcia is keen on the idea of moving to Russia, having fallen down the pecking order at City following the arrival of Fernando from Porto.

Capped twice for Spain at international level, a Zenit switch could also see the midfielder force his way back into Vicente del Bosque’s thoughts ahead of the 2016 European Championships in France.

Garcia could be the first of a series of exits from the Etihad this summer, with highly-rated Swedish striker Jonathan Guidetti also thought to be closing in on a move away from the club.

Injuries seriously hindered Guidetti’s impact on the City first-team and it is thought he could now head to Feyenoord, where he previously thrived during a season-long loan back in the 2011-12 campaign.

Though no fee has been agreed, initial reports indicate it could take a bid of around €5 million to prise the player away from the Sky Blues.

Jack Beresford

Jack is a 27-year-old writer with experience in writing about sport in a range of guises. He’s something of a statto when it comes to soccer and has a passion for English football at all levels, as well as Serie A and the Bundesliga.